- LCFC Women’s Academy hold successful Sister Club event
- Four local clubs attended Belvoir Drive across three days
- City’s own Academy teams also took part in the 5-a-side competition
Grassroots clubs from around the Leicester area, including Blaby & Whetstone, Leicester Ladies, Cosby United Youth & Junior F.C. and Rugby Borough all attended across three days, with Under-10s through to Under-15s taking part alongside Leicester City teams.
Under-12s and Under-14s played fixtures on Tuesday, with Wednesday’s schedule involving both Under-10s and Under-11s, before the event concluded with Under-13s and Under-15s matches on Thursday.
Louis Sowe, Academy Lead at LCFC Women, commented on the success of the tournament: “We were delighted to welcome our Sister Clubs to Belvoir Drive over the course of three evenings. It was great opportunity to a host large number of aspiring footballers within the local area.
“It allowed our players to experience and play different formats than what they’re used to at the weekends. And as a club, connecting with the local community is important to us all.
“By having our Sister Club programme support local clubs within the area, we can collaborate and share ideas with fellow coaches of the clubs, providing players across Leicestershire with positive experiences to help support the growth of the game.”
Carl Wooley, Club Secretary at Cosby United, gave an indication of the event’s importance to the junior club and how the partnership has proved beneficial.
“Cosby United are proud to be a Sister Club of LCFC Women,” he stated. “We’ve been fortunate over the years to have had a substantial number of players play for both clubs, most notably current first team squad member and England Under-17s international, Sophia Poor.
“The partnership gives our players the opportunity to have training sessions led by Academy standard coaches, sit pitchside as ball girls for the women’s first team and get the chance to compete against the very best local players at the excellent Belvoir Drive trining ground.
“We had teams play over the last three evenings at the club’s 5-a-side tournament, allowing our girls to use the facilities but also giving them the chance to see the outstanding level they need to be at if they want to follow in Sophia’s footsteps.”
LCFC Women’s Sister Club programme supports clubs with CPD events, ball girl opportunities for LCFC Women first team fixtures and regular fixtures and tournaments throughout the playing season. For more information, please email louis.sowe@lcfc.co.uk.